Today, the Obama Administration announced new steps to make it easier
for highly skilled workers and talented researchers from other
countries to contribute to our economy and ultimately become Americans.
These measures are part of administrative reforms first announced in 2012,
and reflect our commitment to attracting and retaining highly-skilled
immigrants, continuing our economic recovery, and encouraging job
creation.

Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule
that would—for the first time—allow work authorization for the spouses
of H-1B workers who have begun the process of applying for a green card
through their employers. Once enacted, this proposed rule would empower
these spouses to put their own education and skills to work for the
country that they and their families now call home. This rule change
was requested in a “We the People” petition to the White House.

At the same time, DHS is also proposing another new rule
to make it easier for outstanding professors and researchers in other
countries to demonstrate their eligibility for the EB-1 visa, a type of
green card reserved for the world’s best and brightest. Just as great
athletes and performers are already able to provide a range of evidence
to support their petition for an EB-1, professors and researchers would
be able to present diverse achievements such as groundbreaking patents
or prestigious scientific grants.

These measures build on continuing Administration efforts
to streamline existing systems, eliminate inefficiency, and increase
transparency, such as by the launch of Entrepreneur Pathways,
an online resource center that gives immigrant entrepreneurs an
intuitive way to navigate opportunities to start and grow a business in
the United States.

This week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker met
with the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) Steering Committee 2.0 and
the Manufacturing Council to discuss issues affecting the health of America’s
manufacturing industry, including progress on the National Network for
Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).

In his 2013 and 2014 State of the Union Addresses, President
Obama called for the creation of a nationwide network devoted to innovating and
scaling-up advanced manufacturing technologies and processes to create good
paying jobs and spur economic growth. These efforts, known as the National
Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) consist of regional hubs, bringing
together companies, universities, community colleges, and government to
accelerate the development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing
technologies for making new, globally competitive products. The President has
asked Congress to authorize a one-time $1 billion investment—to be matched by
private and other non-federal funds—to create an initial network of up to 15
hubs. Over the span of 10 years, he has proposed building out NNMI to encompass
45 such hubs.

Significant progress has already been made to accelerate the
development of the NNMI. In January, President Obama announced the selection of the Next Generation Power Electronics
Manufacturing Innovation Institute, headquartered at North Carolina State
University, to lead a manufacturing innovation institute for next generation power electronics. It is focused on enabling
energy-efficient, high-power electronic chips and devices by making wide
bandgap semiconductor technologies cost-competitive with current silicon-based
power electronics. President Obama also announced two additional
institutes in February – the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation
Institute, headquartered in Chicago, and the Lightweight and Modern Metals
Manufacturing Innovation Institute, headquartered in the Detroit area. These
announcements build on the NNMI pilot – the National Additive Manufacturing
Innovation Institute, now known as America Makes – launched in
August 2012 in Youngstown, Ohio.

Innovation is key to supporting economic growth and
creating jobs in the United States. In order to ensure that the United States
stays competitive, the Department of Commerce works to create the conditions
that empower Americans to turn their ideas into successful businesses, grow
their ventures, and create jobs.

Wednesday, on the third day of the Ed Innovation Summit
in Scottsdale, Ariz., Secretary Pritzker spoke with former Washington Post
executive editor Len Downie about what the Department of Commerce is doing to
support innovation. Secretary Pritzker shared that since taking office almost
one year ago, she has spoken to more than 1,000 CEOs and business leaders,
including more than 150 of Fortune 500 companies, around the country. One of
the top concerns they have shared is the challenge of finding the workers with
the right skills to fill available jobs, which is a threat to our nation’s
long-term competitiveness. In order to best equip workers for the jobs that are
available now, and will be available in the future, Secretary Pritzker has made
skills development a top priority for the Department of Commerce for the very
first time.

Central to this effort is breaking down silos between the
public and private sectors to create programs that match workers’ skills to the
needs of businesses. The Department of Commerce is working closely with the
Departments of Education and Labor, as well as businesses, training
organizations, academic institutions, and state and local governments to do
just that. Earlier this month, Secretary Pritzker traveled to Pittsburgh with
President Obama and Vice President Biden, where they announced $100 million in
competitive grants to support apprenticeships and a nearly $500 million grant
competition to support partnerships between community colleges, employers, and
industry association that will help develop job-driven training programs -- a
first for the Department.

Another important aspect driving innovation is
encouraging a start-up culture in which entrepreneurs can thrive. However, as
Secretary Pritzker mentioned during her Ed Innovation talk, the rate of new
business formation is actually declining in the United States. Research
indicates that new and young companies are responsible for virtually all new
job growth across the United States, so supporting entrepreneurship is a
priority for the Administration.

Earlier this month, President Obama announced the
inaugural members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship
(PAGE). Chaired by Secretary Pritzker, PAGE is an initiative to help develop
the next generation of entrepreneurs across the globe and right here in the
United States. The 11 PAGE members will participate in an ongoing dialogue with
policy makers globally to discuss how to create an environment in which
creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship can grow and thrive. They will
also participate in outreach and mentorship activities to help promote a
start-up culture, and energize their own personal and professional networks to
challenge, inspire, and educate budding entrepreneurs.

Following her armchair discussion at the Ed Innovation
Summit, Secretary Pritzker toured SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation
Center, and met with local entrepreneurs. SkySong is a mixed use development
designed to help companies grow by providing business services and programs
offered or facilitated by Arizona State University, which include access to new
technologies, capital networks, and a skilled workforce.

In her roundtable with SkySong's entrepreneurs, Secretary
Pritzker discussed ways in which the federal government can serve as a catalyst
to innovation. For example, the Department of Commerce protects entrepreneurs'
intellectual property through the Patent and Trademark Office, enabling
innovators to capitalize on their ideas. Another part of the Commerce
Department, the Economic Development Administration (EDA), makes investments
that help fund business incubators like SkySong. In fact, EDA helped create
SkySong's technology transfer accelerator, known as Furnace, in 2012.

The investments in entrepreneurs have already paid off
for Arizona. According to a 2012 study by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council,
SkySong-based companies, which range from start-ups to large companies like
Ticketmaster and Recruiting.com, have generated more than $460 million in
economic impact for the Greater Phoenix area since SkySong's inception in 2008.

As part of its mission to help create an environment that
stimulates economic growth and job creation, the Department of Commerce is
dedicated to identifying and supporting successful programs for workforce
training and entrepreneurship.

As the country’s Chief Commercial Advocate, Secretary of
Commerce Penny Pritzker works to ensure that U.S. companies have the best
possible chance of selling their goods and services abroad.

Through the International Trade Administration’s Advocacy
Center (AC), the Department of Commerce helps level the playing field for
American businesses by coordinating U.S. government resources on behalf of U.S.
companies that are bidding on contracts to sell goods and services to overseas
governments. This kind of collaboration and advocacy helps exporters win
contracts and protects American jobs. In fact, the work of the Advocacy Center
supported close to 200,000 U.S. jobs in fiscal year 2014 alone.

This week, Secretary Pritzker visited the Boeing facility
in Mesa, Arizona, which has benefited from the efforts of the Advocacy Center. Just last August, the Advocacy Center helped Boeing
win a $1.6 billion contract to sell 36 Apache helicopters made in Mesa to South
Korea, which will support several hundred U.S. jobs.

Boeing is one of the many U.S. companies that receive
support from the Advocacy Center, which is currently handling almost 1,000
active cases on behalf of companies of varying sizes and business sectors. With
proven success, Commerce Department will continue to advocate for U.S.
exporters so that America can remain competitive in an increasingly global
economy.

As a resource to help U.S. businesses sell their goods
and services abroad, the Advocacy Center is a key component of President
Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), a government-wide effort to support
U.S. businesses in exporting to the 95 percent of worldwide consumers who live
outside America’s borders. Since NEI was launched in March 2010, the Advocacy
Center has been successful in 228 cases, which have a U.S. export content value
of $163.7 billion.

In her remarks, Secretary Pritzker discussed the United States’ commitment to strengthening commercial and economic ties throughout the Asia-Pacific, which is a critical dimension of the president’s rebalance toward this fast-growing region. The Asia-Pacific region presents rapidly growing opportunities for American businesses and workers. The region accounts for nearly 60 percent of world GDP and 40 percent of global trade. Secretary Pritzker highlighted the United States’ leadership role in efforts such as the Trans Pacific Partnership, and she also emphasized the growing U.S. ties with both longstanding and emerging trade partners.

Guest Blog Post bySecretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Jeff Zients, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy

Today, Lufthansa Technik announced a significant new investment in Puerto Rico that demonstrates how efforts to deploy the full resources of the federal government to win job-creating investments in U.S. states and territories pay off. Through the advocacy of several high-level U.S. officials, including the Vice President and the Secretary of Commerce, as well as the work of SelectUSA, the government of Puerto Rico was able to secure this new investment, which will create up to 400 permanent jobs and strengthen Puerto Rico’s burgeoning civil aviation sector.

Lufthansa Technik, a wholly owned subsidiary of Germany-based Lufthansa AG, is making a significant new investment in Puerto Rico to build a maintenance, repair, and operations facility. Thanks to the persistent support of the Administration through our SelectUSA investment initiative, local efforts led by Governor Garcia Padilla of Puerto Rico, and the strengths of Puerto Rico’s growing aviation industry, the United States won this new investment despite strong competition.

SelectUSA – launched in 2011 and housed in the Department of Commerce – is the first-ever federal effort to bring job-creating investment from around the world to the United States in partnership with state and local economic development organizations. Today, Ambassador-led teams at our posts overseas directly support foreign investors looking to make investments in the U.S. by providing resources and information, and when needed, connecting them to investment experts at the Department of Commerce and throughout the SelectUSA interagency network.

Each investor, and investment case, gets tailor-made attention from our case managers at SelectUSA, who rely on ombudsman efforts to answer questions, as well as a sophisticated advocacy network that leverages key Administration officials all the way up to the President of the United States. Lufthansa is a perfect example of our coordinated efforts to bring job-creating investment here to the United States. In addition to Vice President Biden and the Secretary of Commerce and her team, SelectUSA involved other key federal officials, and coordinated with several federal agencies to provide the needed assistance to secure the project. And, when it came time to seal the deal, SelectUSA coordinated an effort across the federal government, including the support of the President’s Taskforce on Puerto Rico, to present Lufthansa with the case for locating their investment in the United States.

The Lufthansa investment is yet another example that demonstrates that the United States is an increasingly attractive location for job-creating business investment from around the world. Last year, for the first time in a decade, global business executives ranked the United States the number one destination for foreign investment. And the Department of Commerce released new data showing that foreign direct investment flows into the United States and our territories rose from $160 billion in 2012 to $187.5 billion in 2013.

With our booming natural gas sector, our skilled workforce, our status as home of the some of the top research universities and innovation hubs, and our resurgent manufacturing communities, the United States is primed for business investment. Businesses increasingly cite the U.S. open investment climate, rule of law, the ability to efficiently export their goods, access to high-quality supply chains, and proximity to robust consumer markets as key factors to locate their operations in the United States. And now, with the help of SelectUSA, the federal government is undertaking a coordinated and concerted effort to showcase our strengths and make the case with even more investors that the United States should be their top choice.

To put it simply, the United States is Open for Business.

Jeff Zients is Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Secretary Penny Pritzker is the Secretary of Commerce.

There are 3.9 million unfilled jobs in the United States and many of these jobs, in fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and engineering, require post-secondary training, and some unemployed workers find that their skills are incompatible with the requirements needed for these new high-tech jobs. In order to help more Americans get back to work, it is essential to align workers’ skills with the needs of industry employers.

For the first time ever, the Commerce Department is making skills a top priority and is working closely with the Labor and Education Departments to ensure that every American has the skills needed to compete in today’s economy. That means more on-the-job training and more apprenticeships that help train American workers with the skills employers need, and match them to good quality jobs that lead to a career path.

Community colleges and technical colleges are a major part of the solution. Every day, these institutions provide 13 million students across the country with the education they need to be competitive in today’s economy. These two-year institutions continue to improve the quality and relevance of the education that their students receive. Last week, Secretary Pritzker explored the partnership between BMW and three of South Carolina’s local technical colleges. Through the BMW Scholars Program, students have the opportunity to rotate through the body shops, paint shops, and assembly lines, gaining hands-on experience in the field. These college-business apprenticeships are just one example of new ways to better place students on direct paths to good jobs while providing strong candidates to businesses.

The rules of the job market are changing: firms are requiring candidates to have stronger skills sets to remain competitive, and community colleges are helping provide the skills these candidates need. Groups like the American Association of Community Colleges provide a voice for these community colleges, and the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue to partner with them, businesses, government and other regional and national institutions to ensure that America can continue to compete in a 21st century global economy.

In honor of her work to improve and expand workforce skills training, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will be presented with the Harry S. Truman Award by the American Association of Community Colleges on Saturday, April 4. The Truman Award recognizes leaders outside of the field of education for their major contributions to community colleges. Past honorees have included President Obama, President Clinton, and Senator Kennedy. Secretary Pritzker will be receiving the award for her previous work in education and training and her current advocacy for skill development as an administration-wide priority.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today toured
the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR),
a campus where academia, the private sector, and government organizations are
working together to research and develop leading-edge technologies, and educate
and train students for jobs in the automotive industry.

Ensuring that America has a strong and skilled
workforce is essential to our economic competitiveness, and that is why
Secretary Pritzker has made workforce development a key pillar of the Commerce
Department’s “Open for Business Agenda.”
In fact, she is the first Commerce Secretary to focus on how we can best
prepare workers with in-demand job skills. The Commerce Department is playing a
key role in this effort by partnering with businesses and other federal
agencies to facilitate industry-driven training programs.

CU-ICAR is one example of an educational institution
working directly with the private sector to conduct research and training that
meets the needs of industry. Since collaboration between academia, the private
sector and government started in 2003, CU-ICAR has grown into a 250-acre campus
educating students and conducting research that is relevant to the global
automotive community. CU-ICAR is studying advanced and highly efficient engine
concepts that utilize a variety of fuels, developing technologies that increase
vehicle electrification and efficiency, developing and utilizing advanced
materials and processes that can reduce vehicle weight and decrease
manufacturing costs. CU-ICAR is also working on identifying opportunities and
technologies to reduce energy consumption in factories, and addressing issues
of safety by designing improved human-machine interfaces and vehicle-to-vehicle
communications.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) fuels U.S. economic growth and creates good, high-paying jobs, which is why the Commerce Department is so focused on attracting more FDI to the United States. At an event today at the BMW manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker applauded the German automaker for announcing an investment of approximately $1 billion in a new X7 production line at the plant.

BMW’s announcement, which is expected to create 800 new jobs by 2016, builds upon the company’s substantial commitment to production in the United States. BMW has made investments of $6.3 billion since coming to South Carolina in 1992. In 2012, the company announced that it would be expanding its Spartanburg facility to make it the largest plant in the BMW Group production network, a move that is expected to bring 1,000 new jobs to South Carolina by the end of 2014.

Secretary Pritzker delivered remarks at the announcement, focusing on the importance of FDI to the U.S. economy and job creation. The United States is both the largest recipient and source of FDI in the world. As of 2011, the most recent data available, majority-owned subsidiaries of multinational firms with U.S. operations employ more than 5.6 million workers and pay an average annual compensation of $77,600. These firms also spent more than $45 billion in R&D in the United States and accounted for 20.5 percent of U.S. goods exported in 2011. Through the SelectUSA program, which Secretary Pritzker described in her remarks, the Department of Commerce is working to attract increased investment to the United States.

Guest blog post by Dr. John Ballato, Clemson University vice president for economic development, and Kris Frady, director of operations for the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development

We had the privilege today of showing U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker the cutting-edge research and education that are helping South Carolina play a leading role in the nation’s economic revival.

She toured the Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and then participated in a roundtable discussion with education and business leaders about how to develop a well-qualified workforce.

Her visit put a spotlight on the public-private partnerships that are helping create the next generation of engineers, scientists and technicians that America needs to remain competitive.

CU-ICAR in Greenville, S.C. is one of four Clemson University innovation campuses placed strategically across the state where businesses and communities need them most. It is an excellent example of what higher education, government and industry can accomplish when they work synergistically for the common good. It creates win-win partnerships.